Federal judge issues restraining order against Trump's plan to lay off USAID workers

President Donald Trump began his first few weeks in the White House with a massive bang, and the establishment resistance is already working overtime to stop him.

According to the New York Post, in the wake of President Trump essentially shuttering the USAID offices, a federal judge out of Washington D.C. has stepped in and blocked the shutdown, at least for now. 

The block came in the form of the judge ruling that the Trump administration cannot place thousands of USAID workers on paid leave as the organization is gutted with the hopes of weeding out the corruption and overspending.

The temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's actions came via US District Judge Carl Nichols on Friday.

What's going on?

As part of a massive overhaul of the controversial government agency, the Trump administration had planned to place thousands of USAID employees on paid leave and ultimately get its workforce down to just a few hundred employees.

The move would result in significant cost savings for U.S. taxpayers, and is part of a larger operation spearheaded by Elon Musk and his DOGE unit to drastically expose and slash government waste.

Judge Nichols tossed a wrench into the gears on Friday. The Post noted:

Nichols ordered the Trump administration to reinstate all USAID employees placed on administrative leave; barred any additional agency employees from being placed on leave; and ordered that no USAID employees in overseas posts be asked to return to the US on an “expedited timeline.”

The judge's temporary restraining order will keep employees from being placed on leave until at least Feb. 15, according to the court order.

The federal judge also ordered that all USAID employees "shall be given complete access to email, payment, and security notification systems."

Notably, Judge Nichols is a Trump-appointed federal judge.

Drastic cuts

The overall goal is to take the agency's 10,000+ employee workforce down to about 600 staffers, who will focus on "critical humanitarian or public health initiatives."

President Trump and his administration were immediately sued be federal unions after the announcement of the agency's profound restructuring plan.

Justice Department lawyers say that Trump has the power and authority to make such moves in reorganizing the agency.

Both Musk and Trump have heavily publicly criticized USAID and the corruption that reportedly runs through its ranks.